


home is wherever i'm with you

by woodchoc_magnum



Series: you can tell everybody this is your song [16]
Category: 9-1-1 (TV)
Genre: Caring Eddie Diaz (9-1-1 TV), Cats, Christopher Diaz is a National Treasure, Domestic Fluff, Eddie Diaz Takes Care of Evan "Buck" Buckley, Evan Buckley in a crop top, Fluff, Fluff and Humor, Halloween, M/M, Married Evan "Buck" Buckley/Eddie Diaz, One Shot, Sick Evan "Buck" Buckley, Soft Eddie Diaz
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-10-30
Updated: 2020-10-30
Packaged: 2021-03-08 17:55:17
Rating: Mature
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 10,328
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/27280795
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/woodchoc_magnum/pseuds/woodchoc_magnum
Summary: In which Christopher picks out a kitty cat best friend, and Buck drives Eddie wild in a crop top for Halloween.
Relationships: Evan "Buck" Buckley/Eddie Diaz (9-1-1 TV)
Series: you can tell everybody this is your song [16]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1816843
Comments: 77
Kudos: 455





	home is wherever i'm with you

**Author's Note:**

> Hi guys - welcome to the first post-consecutive months instalment of this story! Just a bit of fluff for Halloween - hope you enjoy. 🎃
> 
> This is for you, Zee! 💖

"Okay, family meeting," Eddie called, clapping his hands together. "Come on, you two. Stop pretending like you can't hear me. You thought I wouldn't notice the bags of cat supplies you've been squirreling away in the top of the linen cupboard?"

Buck exchanged a look of _yikes_ with Christopher, and pretended to ignore Eddie.

"Hello?" Eddie said sharply from the kitchen. "Excuse me, family? Pay attention to me."

Christopher was trying to stay strong and silent, but rapidly weakened under scrutiny, his face screwing up with guilt. Buck elbowed him lightly, arching his eyebrows at him. "Play it cool."

Suddenly Eddie marched out to the living room with a bag from PetSmart, dumping it out on the floor dramatically. "So I'm guessing someone is going as a cat for Halloween then, huh?" he asked them, using his toe to pick through the items. "Cat toys, a pack of heart worming tablets, a collar—"

"Dad!" Christopher suddenly cried, and Buck sighed. "You said I could get a cat two months ago!"

"And I meant it, but we've been a little busy since we got back, haven't we?"

"We could've gone last weekend but you made us go to that stupid birthday party instead," Christopher complained, turning to Buck for help.

"First of all, that was your cousin's quinceañera and you had to go," Eddie pointed out, "and secondly, we are definitely getting a cat – we just haven't had time to go to the shelter."

"We've had time to go shopping," Christopher said accusingly.

"We need groceries; that's different!"

"Okay," Buck cut in, flicking off the TV. "We're caught. You caught us, Eds. The kid wants a cat and I want to make that happen - so let's just go to the animal shelter and do this thing."

Eddie pursed his lips. "You were just going to go without me, weren't you?"

"No, we were going to lie and say we were going somewhere else but then take you there," Buck replied, raising his eyebrows at him with a grin. "You're very trusting; you would've bought it."

"Oh, would I?"

"Yeah, you would." Buck smirked at him. "But I can't go this weekend; I'm working a double."

Christopher groaned dramatically. Eddie sighed and said, "Babe, I told you to stop taking extra shifts."

"Chim wanted a weekend with Maddie and Charlotte so I'm taking his shift," Buck replied firmly. "It's fine. Listen, here's an idea – why don't you guys go to the shelter and pick a cat without me?"

"No," Eddie and Christopher said at the same time.

"It's not my cat," Buck said reasonably. "It's Christopher's cat. He should be the one to pick it out, and then when I come home, you can surprise me with it. Okay?"

Christopher looked torn. He finally asked, "Are you sure that's okay?"

"Yeah, of course," Buck said with a grin. "It'll be a nice surprise when I come home, all right?"

"All right," Christopher agreed reluctantly. "But if I don't like any of them I won't get one."

"I think you'll find one you like," Buck replied confidently.

~~

On Saturday morning, Buck bustled into the kitchen with his work bag, leaning in to kiss Eddie quickly. "All right, I'm off; I'll see you guys tomorrow," he said as he squeezed Eddie's hip lightly. "I'll check in with you tonight like usual so you know everything is okay."

"Okay, baby," Eddie replied, pulling him in for a hug. "Be safe. No rope rescues."

"Not without you," Buck promised, kissing him again.

"Gross," Christopher remarked from the table.

"Yeah, yeah," Buck teased, dropping into the seat beside him. "Listen to me, kiddo – when you go to the shelter today, they're going to let you sit in with the cats and play with them, all right?"

Christopher's eyes lit up, and he nodded eagerly.

"Here's the thing about cats – they choose you. So spend some time in there and see which cat seeks you out the most, because I guarantee the perfect kitty is ready and waiting for you to come find them." Buck raised his eyebrows at Christopher, who gave him an excited smile. "All right, buddy. I can't wait to meet your kitty tomorrow."

"I wish you were coming with us," Christopher complained.

"No, you go with your dad," Buck said, ruffling his hair – and that was when Eddie realised that Buck had arranged to work specifically so that he could take Christopher alone, and was simultaneously grateful and annoyed at how selfless he was. "Don't over-think it; go with your gut."

"Okay," he said seriously. "I will."

"Good." Buck kissed his forehead and straightened up, heading out to the door, Eddie at his heels. "So listen – if there's a pure white cat with blue eyes, it could possibly be deaf, so don't let him pick that. I mean, unless he really loves it."

"Okay," Eddie replied, confused. "You've been researching?"

"Yeah. Orange cats are sort of extroverted, tabby cats can be a bit wild, black cats can be anxious…" he trailed off. "Just… let him chill out with the cats and pick one that suits him."

Eddie clutched his arm. "Are you sure you don't want to come? I'm out of my depth here."

"Nah, you'll be fine." Buck smiled at him, slipping into his jacket. "I love you. I'll text you all night and I'll see you tomorrow."

Eddie pulled him in close and said, "You're his father too; you don't have to miss out on this stuff."

"I want to be surprised," Buck replied, lowering his voice. "I noticed he looks to me a lot when making decisions, so I want him to make this one without me there. You know?"

Eddie had noticed the same thing happening more and more, and nodded. "Okay. Good call, Buckley."

"Thanks, Diaz." Buck gave him one last kiss. "I love and adore you, and you are so beautiful, and tomorrow night you can fuck my brains out and I'll miss you every second," he whispered into his ear.

Eddie smacked his butt and pushed him out the door with a grin. "Love you too. Be safe," he said again, for good measure.

"No rope rescues!" Buck called as he jogged to the jeep.

~

Eddie and Christopher drove to the shelter in the early afternoon, and as they pulled up outside, Christopher asked nervously, "So will I know when a cat has chosen me?"

"That's what Buck said, so I guess you will," Eddie replied, having absolutely no idea what it meant. "And look – if there are none that you really, really like, that's okay. There's another shelter we can try tomorrow."

"And no kittens."

"Just… maybe a cat a little older than a kitten," Eddie suggested. "Older cats need love and homes too."

"Okay. Got it."

They left the car and headed into the building, where a young woman with long dark hair greeted them. "Mr Diaz?"

"Eddie," he replied with a smile. "This is my son, Christopher."

"Nice to meet you, Christopher!" she said, smiling brightly at him. "You're going to spend time with our kitties today, right?"

"And hopefully find one we can bring home," Eddie said, patting Christopher's shoulder.

"Have you guys ever owned a cat before?"

He shook his head. "This is our first pet, but my husband had a cat when he was younger, and he's all for it."

"Oh, lovely. My name is Eleni; it's so nice to meet you both," she said, grabbing a clipboard and stepping out from behind the counter. "Now, let me tell you about our kitties. Some of them have been here for a few weeks, but we have a few who have been here for a couple of years without finding their forever home. We have had a litter of kittens come in last week, but they're all too young to be adopted, unfortunately."

"We're looking for an older cat," Eddie said, nudging Christopher in front of him as they followed her down a brightly lit corridor. "Christopher has some mobility issues so a kitten might not be the best idea."

"Of course," she replied with an emphatic nod. "Let me reassure you – all of our cats have been health-checked, spayed and neutered. They are all socialised, are used to people and children, and other cats as well. They have their own separate enclosures but during the day we let them roam free in a big play area, which is right in here," she said, pushing through a wooden door into an open space. Behind a glass door was the cat room, which was complete with cat trees, scratching posts, beds and cats, so many cats – maybe twenty or more. They were sleeping in pairs or alone; some were bathing each other, others had perches high upon cat trees, gazing down serenely from above.

A couple of skinny, stripy cats marched back and forth in front of the windows, meowing at them, but Eddie's eyes were instantly drawn to one in the back – this cat was mostly black, but with a white scruff and another white patch right across its whiskers, like a little moustache. He – and Eddie felt it was a he without knowing for sure – was seated on a perch on the far wall, curled up, but his head lifted curiously, watching them. Eddie just liked the look of him. He was a dignified, distinguished gentleman.

Eleni opened the door, stepping in so the two hyperactive cats would follow her, and gestured for Christopher to enter. "Come on in! You can spend as much time in here as you like. Mr Diaz, did you want to come in as well?"

"This is Christopher's cat and his choice," he said with a grin. "I'm just the driver."

Christopher wanted to take off his crutches, so Eddie entered long enough to help him with them and sit him on a cushion on the floor, before stepping out again. Eleni knelt beside him, pointing out the different cats and naming them. The two hyperactive tiger cats were Tweedle Dee and Tweedle Dum, brothers, who would have to be adopted as a pair. Eddie immediately scratched them off the list.

There was a pure white cat seated in the corner, her tail tucked around her feet primly. Eddie took her off the list as well – the last thing they needed was a possibly deaf cat tripping Christopher (or Buck) over.

There were three ginger cats prowling around, and one of them padded over to Christopher, sniffed him, but walked away before Christopher could pat him.

Eleni pointed out a couple of the sneakier cats, hiding away in little caves – a black cat with big yellow eyes, peering out of the darkness – and a stripy silver cat who turned its head away and made itself as small as possible when she called out to it.

But Eddie kept looking over to the moustached cat, waiting for her to introduce him. He was watching them, ears pricked up, eyes bright – he was a damn fine looking cat, if Eddie had ever seen one, and he hadn't ever really considered himself a cat person before.

Finally Eleni pointed to him and said, "That's Bertie. He's been here about a year, and he doesn't really approach people too often."

Christopher looked up at him and smiled. "He's so cute. I love his moustache."

"He's very cute," she agreed. "All right, Christopher. I'm going to leave you and your Dad in here – just let me know if you find someone you like, okay?"

"Okay," he agreed, patting a brown tabby as it wandered over to him.

Eleni left the room, stepping over to stand beside Eddie. "Your son is wonderful."

He grinned. "Yeah, I know. He's the best."

"You and your husband are very lucky. I really hope he finds a cat today," she said. "I'll be at the front, just pop out and let me know when you're done."

"Thanks," he said to her, and went back to watching Christopher interact with the cats.

He played with them for a while, but none seemed particularly interested in him. Eddie guessed that was what cats were like, in general, but he kept glancing at Bertie – which was a dumb name for such a handsome fellow – who hadn't moved, but also hadn't taken his eyes off Christopher the entire time he'd been in the enclosure.

Christopher had his back to Bertie, playing with one of the ginger tomcats, when the moustached cat sat up and stretched, arching his back as he yawned widely. He sat down on all fours, watching with interest, before delicately descending from his perch to the floor. He stretched both paws out, arching his back again with another yawn, as though trying to act casual, and then padded over to Christopher. Eddie watched as the black-and-white cat bopped his head against Christopher's elbow and sat down beside him, looking up at him expectantly.

"Hi Bertie," Christopher said, turning around. "Hi."

Bertie gazed up at him with curious amber eyes, blinking once slowly. When Christopher reached out to pat his head, he leaned into the touch, and Eddie heard Christopher murmur, "You're purring."

Eddie watched as the cat delicately put its paws on Christopher's leg before carefully arranging himself on Christopher's lap, turning so he could look up at him, purring contentedly. Christopher looked up at Eddie with shock and amazement, and Eddie nodded at him.

"I think he's the one," Christopher said. "Dad?"

"Definitely."

Eddie watched them for a few moments longer, before leaving the room to collect Eleni. "We have a winner," he said to her. "Bertie."

Her eyes lit up. "Really? No way! He has always been so stand-offish!"

He grinned. "Yeah, it's pretty cute. Come look."

Sure enough, when they returned, Bertie was sleeping soundly in Christopher's lap, draped across him like he'd found the comfiest bed in the world. Eleni clapped her hands over her mouth and bounced up and down with sheer joy. "I'm so happy! He's such a good cat. This is the best! Okay, let's get him to his forever home!"

~

Eddie carried the cat carrier out to the car, sliding it into the backseat and then helping Christopher inside. Bertie meowed once, but as soon as Christopher was seated beside him, sticking his fingers through the bars on the door, all Eddie could hear from the front was loud purring.

"Well, Buck was certainly right about the cat choosing you," Eddie said as they drove out of the lot.

"I want to change his name," Christopher declared. "He's not a Bertie."

"I agree. What do you want to call him?"

"I don't know; I'll think about it. Can we go show Buck now?"

Eddie checked his watch. "Buddy, he's at work… we probably shouldn't."

"Dad, please?"

"Let me call him and find out what he's doing before we just turn up," he said, calling Buck through the Bluetooth.

He answered with a delighted, "Hi, husband."

"Hi baby. We've picked out a cat. Chris wants to know if we can stop by so you can meet him."

"Oh, yeah! Text me when you're here. I was just kicking Lucy's ass at Mario Kart."

"You were not," Eddie heard Vasquez complain in the background.

He laughed. "All right. Be there in twenty."

"Text me when you arrive; I'll come out."

~

When they arrived, Buck bounded out to the car, dressed in his casual work uniform, and leaned in through the open window to greet Eddie with a kiss before opening the back door. "Who's this?" he asked Christopher.

"His name is Bertie, but we need to change it," Christopher replied.

Eddie turned around to find Bertie peering out at Buck with big amber eyes, before finally rubbing his face against the bars as if to say that he approved. Buck extended a finger to scratch his cheek, glancing up at Christopher with a grin. "Did he pick you?"

"He came right over and sat in my lap and started purring!"

"Yeah, I bet. He's beautiful, Chris. You'll think of a great name for him." Buck ruffled Christopher's hair and extracted himself from the backseat. "All right, family," he said, bending down to kiss Eddie again. "Love you. I'll see you tomorrow."

"Love you, Buck," Christopher replied.

Eddie smiled up at him. "I love you too. No rope rescues."

"Nope, we've already got the Monopoly board out expecting a quiet night," Buck replied, backing up towards the station.

"That's jinxing it, you know," Eddie called to him.

"We'll see. I'm an optimist!"

~

Eddie already had everything they needed for the cat, so while Christopher was following Bertie around the house as he explored, he set up the kitty litter in the laundry and put together the cat tree in the living room. He sat back on his heels and watched as Christopher interacted with the cat – he'd thought Christopher was following Bertie around, but it was the opposite. Bertie simply would not let Christopher out of his sight, trailing after him and looking up at him curiously whenever he spoke.

Eddie took a video and sent it to Buck, and snapped some photos to send to his family. Christopher wandered out to the living room and sat on the couch, and Bertie jumped up beside him, padding over to Eddie with his tail straight up, slightly bent at the tip. Eddie gave his ears a scratch and said to Christopher, "Have you thought of a name yet?"

"No," he replied. "He just doesn't look like a Bertie."

"Agreed. He needs something classy. He's a classy cat."

"Yeah, he's got a moustache, he's fancy."

"Buck says they call black and white cats tuxedo cats," Eddie replied, as Bertie settled down between them on the couch, purring loudly. "I could see him getting around with a little top hat on, smoking a cigar."

Christopher laughed at him. "He's a rich cat. A millionaire cat."

"Maximilian," Eddie said suddenly, raising an eyebrow at Christopher. "Max the millionaire cat."

"Max!" Christopher exclaimed, leaning over the cat, which let out a rumbly purr of appreciation. "Is your name Max?"

The cat closed his eyes and then opened them again, content.

Eddie said, "Max it is."

~

At about 3am Eddie's phone buzzed, and he reached over in his sleep to grab it, blinking awake as he read Buck's message.

_3am check-in. Just got back from a scene downtown & heading to bed. Love you, husband xx_

Eddie yawned and wrote back: _Love you too; get some sleep xoxo_

He was awake, so he decided to go to the bathroom and check on Christopher. They'd deliberated about what to do with Max but ultimately Christopher wanted to try to have him in his room, with the door open in case he wanted to go in and out.

Eddie cracked open the door slightly, peering in. The light from the street cast a glow across the bed, where a very fluffy cat was lying across Christopher – his back legs on one side, front paws on the other. He lifted his head when Eddie opened the door, letting out a soft, purry, _'meow?'_

Eddie leaned against the doorframe with a smile. Christopher didn't stir, and the cat settled down again, closing its eyes, letting out a deep sigh as it went back to sleep.

~

Buck arrived home at around 9am the next morning, carrying a bag from Milo's deli. Max the cat leapt up onto the back of the couch when Buck appeared, kicking off his shoes in a flurry of activity. Eddie greeted Buck with a kiss, cupping the back of his neck, ignoring Christopher's groan of playful disgust.

"Quiet night?" he asked, taking the bag from him.

"Yeah, not too bad, actually." He leaned in close and whispered in Eddie's ear, "Had a jumper downtown."

"Oh god."

"Yeah. It wasn't great." Buck kissed his cheek again, and then wandered into the living room. "How's Bertie going?"

"Bertie has a new name," Christopher said proudly. "Maximilian, Max for short, Mr Max for fancy."

"Mr Max," Buck murmured, as the cat jumped up onto the back of the couch, tilting its head to the side as it regarded him seriously. "Hello Mr Max, I'm Buck. Very nice to see you again."

Max yawned at him, rose up on all fours in a stretch, before hopping down to curl up next to Christopher again. He lifted his head when Buck leaned over to scratch him between the ears, but that was about it.

Buck followed Eddie into the kitchen, sliding his arms around his waist from behind and kissing his cheek. "That's one cool cat."

"Yeah, he loves Christopher. I should've taken a video yesterday. He jumped right down off the perch and came to sit in his lap. Totally picked him, just like you said."

"Cats, man," Buck replied knowingly, hugging him from behind. "Boring shift without you."

"Was it? You were hanging out playing video games, I thought," Eddie teased.

"Only for an hour; the rest was cleaning. The place has never looked so good. Hey, Hen texted me – they're having a costume party the Friday before Halloween," he said, pulling himself up onto the counter while Eddie organised their breakfast. "No kids allowed – adults only. I have an idea for our costumes."

"A couple's costume?" Eddie asked.

"Yes. Kind of a fantasy of yours," Buck said, dropping his voice low. "From one of your favourite movies."

He paused, running through movies in his head, but couldn't think of any with a couple recognisable enough to have a costume. "I have no idea."

"You'll see. I'll get the costume; you've just got to wear it."

"Would you tell me what it is so I know I'm not dressing up as something stupid?" Eddie complained, but Buck simply shook his head with a gleeful smile. " _Buck._ "

"Nope."

~~

Buck liked the cat, which made itself at home effortlessly. Carla was also a big fan of Max, who seemed totally unbothered by everything and everyone - at least until Chimney came over to help Buck mount a TV on the wall in his and Eddie's bedroom.

Max did not like Chimney, and the feeling was mutual.

"What the hell is that?" Chimney asked with disdain as soon as he stepped inside the house, instantly spotting the fluffy black cat perched on the top of the cat tree.

"That's Christopher's cat, Maximilian," Buck replied. He went to the cat tree and reached up to scratch behind Max's ears, and the cat purred loudly and happily until his eyes opened and settled on Chimney. Almost instantly, his ears went flat and he let out a hiss. "Whoa, Max. That's just Chimney," Buck said with a laugh. "Nothing to be afraid of."

Chimney was glaring right back at him. "Mean little fluffball."

Max growled, deep in his throat, and then leapt down from the cat tree and slunk down the hall to Christopher's room. Buck heard Christopher exclaim happily, and shrugged at Chimney. "I don't know, he likes everyone."

"Yeah, that cat's racist," Chimney remarked, following Buck down to the main bedroom. "Now, Buckaroo, if I see any whips or chains in here—"

"Don't worry, I put them all away," Buck replied sarcastically.

"Yeah, I hope," Chimney replied. "Where's Eddie?"

"Grocery shopping."

"Oh, what a nice 1950's marriage you've got going on here," Chimney teased him, and laughed when Buck swung around and tried to grab him in a headlock. "I'm kidding! I'm joking!"

"Yeah, yeah," Buck muttered. They stood in the bedroom, and Buck gestured to the wall. "Here. Mount the thing."

Chimney rolled his eyes at him. "You could do this yourself."

"Nah, I'd rather get you over here to do it for me. You've got the stud finder," Buck remarked, taking it out of the toolbox and pointing it at himself. "See? It works."

Chimney snatched it back, giving Buck a light shove. "Give that here, dummy."

"You are."

"Hey, Buck?" Christopher called. "Can you come here?"

Buck clapped Chimney on the shoulder and went across the hall. Max was lying on his back across the bottom of Christopher's bed, legs spread, totally relaxed.

Christopher smiled up at him. "Can you take a photo of us?"

"Sure," Buck said, dropping to his knees, pulling his phone out of his pocket. Christopher moved so he was lying beside Max, who extended one paw to delicately touch his cheek. Buck took a few photos and passed the phone across, and when Christopher nodded his approval, he shot one off in the group chat with the 118, one to the Diaz family group chat and one to his private chat with Maddie, who instantly replied with cat emojis and love hearts.

He went back across the hall to Chimney, who was up on the stepladder with a tape measure. "Hey, I need to talk to you about something," Chimney said, glancing down at him. "About Maddie."

Buck tossed his phone on the bed and sat down. "What's up?"

"Well, I bought her a ring… Hen helped me pick it out," he said, colour creeping into his cheeks. "And I'm going to propose, but I feel weird about… your parents."

"Yeah, well, we all do," Buck replied, but beamed up at him. "I'm glad you're doing it. Finally."

"I mean, honestly, I was going to do it last year but then you and Eddie kinda swooped in and took over," Chimney complained, "so I had to put things on hold."

"You could've proposed. We wouldn't have cared," Buck replied.

"Nah, it's in poor taste." Chimney was smiling at him, leaning against the wall, and then suddenly jerked with surprise and let out a gasp.

Max was sitting in the doorway, staring up at him with narrowed eyes.

"That cat is evil," Chimney hissed at Buck.

"He just doesn't like you; he's fine with us. Loves Carla. He must know you're scared of cats," Buck remarked.

"I'm not scared of cats!"

"You totally are; you're hiding up on top of the stepladder like you think sweet Max is capable of hurting you."

"Sweet! He's not sweet, he's mean. Look at his _eyes._ "

Max blinked at Buck, lifted a paw to his mouth and licked it, before rubbing it over the back of his head. Buck said dryly, "Oh yeah. He's so mean. I had no idea you were so scared of cats."

Chimney scowled at him. "I'm not scared. Do you want this TV on your wall or not?"

"Yeah, man, you said it would take five minutes, it's been way longer than that," Buck teased.

"God, you're annoying," Chimney muttered, casting one final suspicious look at the cat before turning back to the wall. "Hey, listen. About Maddie… I know your parents are one story, but like… you're cool with me marrying your sister, right?"

Buck snorted. "Are you asking me for my blessing?"

"Kinda, yeah, it's the appropriate thing to do," Chimney retorted.

"You guys have been together for almost three years, Chim. I give you my blessing, but also – hey look at me for a sec," Buck said, and Chimney turned around on the ladder, his eyebrows raised. "Listen. If you ever, and I mean _ever_ , hurt my sister—"

Chimney groaned. "Oh, really, Buck?"

"And I mean _ever_ , I will get Eddie to go all MMA on your ass," Buck warned, trying to sound tough, but unable to stifle his laughter at Chimney's skeptical look.

They snorted at the same time and started laughing. Chim threw the tape measure at Buck and turned his back on him again, shaking his head. "God, why am I marrying into this?"

"I ask myself that every single day," Eddie said from the doorway.

Buck turned to find him leaning against the doorframe, smirking at them. "Babe," he said happily. "You're home."

"Yeah, come help me with the groceries?" Eddie knelt down to pick up Max, who let out a soft, ' _mrow?_ ' as he was lifted up. "Who's a good boy? You are, Maxy. Such a good boy."

"Your cat is a bastard," Chimney remarked.

Eddie frowned, shaking his head at Max, who was purring so loudly Buck could hear it from the bed. "Excuse me - we have a super chill dude, thank you very much."

"It's evil. Like some _Pet Sematery_ kinda thing."

Buck had a blank, confused look on his face, but Eddie said flatly, "We didn't get him from an Indian burial ground, Chim. Thanks."

"Chim's scared of cats," Buck said, and then added thoughtfully, "and crows, Maddie tells me."

Chimney glowered at him. "I can't believe she betrayed me. You Buckleys' are all the same."

Eddie set the cat down on the floor, and tilted his head to the front of the house. "Groceries."

"Yep. Chim, you're good, right? Maybe Max can help you with the TV," Buck teased, snickering when Chimney gave him the finger.

He and Eddie brought the groceries inside from the car, and he was munching on an apple and cosying up to Eddie in the kitchen when he heard Chimney say nervously, "Um, guys?"

"Oh no," Eddie murmured with a grin, patting Buck's hips. "Get your phone."

Buck fumbled with his phone, setting the apple down on the counter, and followed Eddie down the hall, quickly starting a video. They stopped in the doorway to the main bedroom, where Chimney was standing on top of their chest of drawers, a hammer clutched to his chest. Max was seated comfortably on the top of the stepladder, staring up at him with his head cocked to the side.

Eddie snorted out a laugh and turned away, but Buck said, trying to be serious, "Chim, put the hammer down and step away from the cat."

"He won't leave me alone!" Chimney shouted. "Buck, your cat is a menace!"

Max yawned.

Eddie had both hands over his mouth, shaking with silent laughter. Buck shook his head and said warningly, "Sir, step down from the drawers, please. Let the cat go."

"Buck, it's not funny!"

"Sir, please."

"Damn it, Buck, are you taking a video?!" Chimney's voice was about as high-pitched as Buck had ever heard, and it took every single bit of willpower not to double over laughing.

"You know I am, and please, stop threatening the cat with the hammer!"

Eddie peeped into the room and snorted again, tears rolling down his face. Chimney held the hammer up and shouted, "Get your cat! Get your cat, Buck!"

Max gave him a lazy, disinterested look, arranging himself neatly on top of the stepladder. Buck passed the phone to Eddie and went to pick him up – he instantly lolled back in his arms, totally relaxed, and let Buck carry him out of the room.

"He menaced me!" Buck heard Chimney say to Eddie defensively. "He's menacing me!"

"He's a cat!" Eddie shot back. "You're scared of a cat!"

"He's evil – Eddie, I'm telling you, he's a demon."

"He's just a freaking cat!"

Laughing, Buck set Max down on Christopher's bed again, and said, "I might lock you two in here, Chris. Uncle Chim is pretty terrified of Max. Is that okay?"

"Sure thing," Christopher replied, totally absorbed in his book. Max wandered up to him, brushed up against his face as Christopher giggled, and then slowly and carefully arranged himself so he was sitting on Christopher's chest, blocking his view of the book. Christopher gave up trying to read and patted him instead, which was clearly Max's game plan all along.

Buck smiled affectionately at them, and stepped back out into the hallway, closing the door behind him. Chimney was still complaining, but Eddie wordlessly passed him the phone, and he went into the kitchen to add the video to the 118 group chat.

Chimney's response was almost immediate. "Buck! That's it! You are not in the wedding party; I've had it!"

"Wedding party?" Eddie asked in confusion. "You popped the question?"

"Not yet, but Buck is _out._ "

Buck returned to the bedroom, smirking at Eddie. "He'll change his mind."

~~

Hen's Halloween party was the Friday night before Halloween, and Buck assured Eddie that he'd already picked up their costumes and everything was ready to go. Eddie still had no earthly idea what the hell Buck was planning, and he grilled Christopher about it on the way to Aunt Pepa's house, but he was similarly unaware. Max the cat was along for the ride; Christopher unwilling to part with him – and it turned out that Max liked car rides as long as Christopher was with him.

Max would do pretty much anything as long as Christopher was with him, they'd discovered. Buck had even bought him a leash and a harness, and taken him for walks around the garden. Eddie thought the whole thing was hilarious, but loved the visual of his big, tall husband walking their cat around the front garden on a leash, and took numerous videos on his phone.

Pepa wasn't thrilled when they turned up with cat, but Max was so chilled out and relaxed that she quickly warmed up to him. Eddie left her with his litter tray, food and the leash, kissed Christopher goodbye, and hurried home to finally catch a glimpse of their Halloween costumes – hoping and praying it wasn't something ridiculous.

He parked in the driveway, jogged up the path and let himself inside. He caught one glimpse of Buck, waiting for him in the living room, and dropped his keys.

Buck was wearing… a crop top.

Buck was… wearing… _a crop top._

And jeans. Cut-off jeans, ripped just above the knee, but… more importantly, Buck was wearing _a crop top._ The sleeves were torn off with the uneven hemline of the shirt ending just above his belly button, and the jeans were so low that Eddie could see the top of the V-shaped muscles leading down. He clutched at the wall, a wave of _holy-fucking-shit-I-have-to-have-him-now-or-I'll-die_ crashing over him.

Buck tilted his head to the side. "Hi."

"What are you wearing?" he demanded, his mouth dry. "What is this from; what movie… Buck, what…"

"You like it?" Buck turned around slowly, and then lifted his arms over his head, the shirt riding up, revealing his flat, toned stomach.

A jolt of pure arousal went straight to Eddie's dick. "Jesus Christ."

Buck smirked at him. "Come on, get it together. We're going to a party and I need to watch you put your costume on."

"I don't even know what fucking movie this is from," Eddie said, wanting to put his hands - and mouth - all over Buck's body.

" _Point Break_ ," Buck said with a grin. "The football scene? Swayze and Keanu are both wearing crop tops, and I know you like that scene… and I knew you'd like to see me in a crop top. Do I look good, babe?" He did another slow turn, biting down on his lower lip, fluttering his eyelashes at Eddie.

He nodded quickly, his jeans uncomfortably tight. "Baby, you… I can't… holy shit, you look so good."

"I know," Buck said smugly, grabbing him by the hand. "And so will you."

"I can't go to the party with an erection," Eddie hissed.

"Don't worry so much about that; I've got you covered," Buck replied, and as soon as they were in the bedroom, he was on his knees, undoing Eddie's belt, pulling out his cock and wrapping his lips around it.

In what was not Eddie's finest moment, he lasted about a minute, too worked up to even try to hold on. Buck smugly cleaned him up, pushing him on his back on the bed, standing over him in his costume.

"Holy fucking Christ you're killing me," Eddie groaned, covering his eyes with his hands. "You knew this would kill me."

"Yep." Buck slid on top of him, covering him with his body, and kissed him lazily, his hands busily tugging at Eddie's clothes. "Come on, let's get you showered and dressed."

"Let's stay home," he said instead, grabbing Buck's ass through his jeans. "Fuck me."

Buck shook his head, biting down on his lower lip. "No, no. Not until later. It's party time, stud."

~~

Eddie stepped out of the bathroom in his own costume – blue jeans with ripped knees, and a gray hoodie tank top that ended right at the waistband of the jeans, revealing the barest hint of golden skin. Buck tried to ignore the jolt of pure arousal that shot right to his dick and turned him to face the mirror, studying his hair with a frown.

"I'll slick it back," Eddie said uncertainly.

"No, because in the movie Keanu's is kinda flippy…"

"Yeah, but your hair doesn't look anything like Swayze's, and you don't have the stubble," Eddie pointed out.

"It's not about that, Eds. I've got the Swayze swagger," Buck replied, taking a step back, holding his arms out and wiggling his hips.

Eddie arched an eyebrow. "You certainly can't dance like he does."

"You never had any complaints." Buck grabbed some hair product from the top of the drawers and poured some into his hands. "Gotta give you that wet, tousled look, like you've just been surfing all day, and now you're sweaty from playing football."

Eddie stood there silently and let Buck play with his hair – he'd wanted to cut it short again, but Buck had made a very convincing argument about leaving it longer on top (he'd bribed him with sex). Buck twirled it around his fingers, teasing it until he was satisfied, and turned Eddie to face the mirror again.

"You look fucking gorgeous," he proclaimed, sliding his arms around Eddie's waist and resting his chin on his shoulder. "So I say we give this thing like… three hours—"

"Two."

"And then we come home and you do whatever the fuck you want to me."

Eddie turned around in his arms and said, "I'm gonna hold you to that."

~

Buck handed Eddie the final pieces of their costumes when they arrived at Hen and Karen's – Ronald Reagan masks and small inflatable surfboards. Almost as soon as they entered Chimney yelled out, "Hey, it's the ex-presidents!"

The masks were immediately discarded, and they were handed some kind of cocktail – it was green and had vodka in it. Eddie handed his to Buck, wrinkling his nose, and went looking for something harder. Hen had queued up a spooky playlist, which consisted of mostly hits from the 80s and the odd sprinkling of ' _Monster Mash_ ' or ' _Werewolves of London_ '.

Buck was swept up in a discussion with Bobby, Chimney and Albert about football, and when he looked around in search of Eddie, he found him and Karen standing in the kitchen together, working their way through a tray of jell-o shots. Concerned that super drunk Eddie was going to make an appearance, Buck immediately headed over to investigate.

"Here's my husband!" Eddie exclaimed – happy and loose, not yet drunk. He threw his arms around Buck and hugged him close. " _Husband._ "

"Are you getting him drunk?" Buck asked Karen, who made a face at him and shook her head.

"No, these ones are just spooky, non-alcoholic shots," she replied, passing him over a green shot. Sure enough, it was just jell-o.

"But I might've had a couple – just a couple – of tequila shots," Eddie breathed in Buck's ear. "And now I'm done."

"No more tequila," Buck said to Karen, who held her hands up innocently. "He's a married man. Behave yourself."

"Aw, but he's so cute. You're both cute in your matching little outfits," she teased. "Hey, you guys want to sing some karaoke?"

"No," Eddie replied, his hands sliding under Buck's t-shirt at the back, tilting his head up for a kiss. "Baby."

"Mmm," Buck murmured, brushing their lips together. "Hi."

"Oh god, will you two break it up?" Hen shouted at them, grabbing Buck's hand, pulling him away from Eddie. "Come on, Buckley, we are going to sing."

"No, Buck," Eddie complained, but when Karen passed him over another tequila shot, he lit up with a smile.

As Hen hauled him up onto the makeshift stage in the living room, Buck shouted at them, "No more tequila!"

Eddie held it up pointedly and downed it in a gulp.

~

"Buckaroo," Chimney said, draping an arm over his shoulders. "Come here, buddy. You gotta try this. I made a cheese ball."

"A cheese ball," Buck repeated slowly, allowing Chimney to drag him into the kitchen. "What the hell is a cheese ball?"

"Well it's like this," Chimney replied, his speech a little slurred. "You get a bunch of cheeses and you roll them into a ball, and then you roll that ball in some various spices, and voila – cheese ball." He pointed to a small, sad-looking ball on a wooden board, surrounded by crackers. It was untouched, and Buck could see why.

"No offence dude, but this looks awful," he remarked.

"Offence," Chimney proclaimed, grabbing a cracker and loading it up with cheese. "Here. Try. Come on, try."

Buck made a face. "Are you sure about this? What kind of cheese did you use?"

"Good stuff," Chimney said, practically forcing the cracker into Buck's mouth. "Chew."

"I'm not your kid!" Buck protested through a mouthful of food, wrinkling his nose. "Ugh. Chim, I don't know."

"Here, try some more with the spice," Chimney urged, loading up another cracker. "Come on, Buck. You'll like it."

Buck took it from him before he could jam it in his mouth, shaking his head. "Did you taste this before you served it?"

Chimney groaned. "Just _try it._ Maddie gave me the recipe. Come on, you're the station's garbage disposal – eat my cheese ball."

Buck narrowed his eyes, and popped the second cracker into his mouth. It didn't taste _right_ – there was something off, but he forced a nod and said, "Mmm." It was unconvincing, but Chimney held his hands over his head in victory.

"I knew you'd like it! Where's Eddie?" he asked, abandoning Buck in search of Eddie, who was returning from the bathroom. "Eddie! Come here!"

Eddie looked suspicious, joining them in the kitchen, slipping an arm around Buck's waist. "What's going on?"

"Cheese ball," Chimney said proudly, assembling another cracker. "Here."

"No," Eddie said instantly – the man had a _thing_ about mushy foods. He could tolerate guacamole, but wouldn't touch anything else that had been mashed or pureed. He even struggled with scrambled eggs, unless they were really well-cooked. "No, I can't. I can't."

"He doesn't eat it," Buck said gently, as Chimney ignored them. "Chim! He doesn't eat cheese balls."

"He hasn't even tried," Chimney complained, holding out the cracker. "Come on, brother-in-law! Try my cheese ball."

Buck intercepted the cracker and popped it into his mouth, holding up a hand to Chimney. "We're done. Go impress Bobby with your cooking."

"You guys are the worst," Chimney groaned, and then spotted Bobby and Athena. "Hey! Cap! Cheese ball?"

Bobby wore a horrified expression, but Athena was the one who practically snapped, "Don't you bring that stinky cheese ball over here, Chimney."

"You guys won't try my ball!"

Eddie, a little drunk, began to giggle helplessly, slipping his arms around Buck's waist. "He made a cheese ball," he snorted. "Buck, you didn't eat it."

"I did. I'm a good brother." Buck kissed his cheek and hugged him. "Want to sing with me? Bon Jovi?"

Eddie rolled his eyes, shaking his head. "Only if it's ' _Livin' on a Prayer'."_

"Deal."

~

They'd been there for just over three hours, and were listening to Maddie and Chimney warbling together, when Eddie grabbed Buck by the collar and whispered urgently, "Escape, now."

Buck nodded, downing the last of his beer, checking his watch, and as soon as Maddie and Chimney were off the makeshift stage, he said, "Right, we're out. See you at work."

"No!" Karen shouted at him. "It's only early!"

"We're married now, this is what we do," Buck retorted, rising to his feet, taking Eddie by the hand. "We have to pick up Christopher early tomorrow."

"Oh my god, Buck, you guys are so lame," Maddie complained. "You only sang one song and you haven't danced with me yet."

"You've been with Chimney all night," he retorted, dragging Eddie away from the group. "Bye!"

"Bye everyone," Eddie echoed, ignoring their complaints, holding Buck's hand in both of his as they hurried out of the house.

The last thing they heard was Chimney shouting, "You newlyweds are so gross!"

Buck grinned at Eddie as he ordered an Uber. "Let's go. You think you can contain yourself until we get home?"

Eddie smirked. "Oh yeah, I've got a plan for you."

~~

Eddie was a little tipsy, but not too bad, and in the Uber on the way back home he made sure there was a distinct space between them, thwarting every single one of Buck's attempts to pull him in closer. Their driver made idle chit chat, but Eddie leaned up against his door and kept his eyes trained on Buck, biting down on his lip, inwardly chuckling as Buck became visibly hot and sweaty.

By the time they arrived home and hopped out of the car Buck could hardly contain himself, grabbing Eddie around the waist and trying to pull him in for a kiss as they strode up the driveway. Eddie turned around, held up a hand and warned, "Contain yourself," before realising just how sweaty Buck was, and stopped abruptly. "Baby?"

"What?" Buck asked, swaying on his feet.

Even in the darkness, Eddie could see he was pale and clammy. "Are you feeling okay?"

"Yeah, a bit drunk, but—" Buck stopped abruptly and gagged, covering his mouth with his hand. "Um…"

Instantly sober, Eddie hurried to unlock the door, grabbing Buck by the elbow and pulling him into the house and to the bathroom. He flicked on the light, realised with horror just how pale he was, and asked urgently, "What's wrong?"

Buck gagged again, shaking his head, trying not to throw up. "My stomach is churning."

Suddenly, Eddie remembered the goddamn mother-fucking cheese ball, and gritted his teeth. "Cheese ball."

"Cheese ball," Buck said, his eyes widening, and gagged violently. "Oh god damn it, I'm going to fucking kill Chimney!" He dropped to his knees, trying to pull his shirt up and over his head. Eddie took it off for him, kneeling beside him and rubbing his back. Buck was breathing heavily, leaning over the toilet, and suddenly everything he'd consumed over the last few hours was pouring into the toilet bowl.

Eddie tried not to gag as well, turning his face away; his hand on Buck's back. "You're okay. It's okay."

He was going to _fucking kill Chimney._

~

What followed was a long night of misery, Buck groaning as he hobbled back and forth from the bathroom to the bed. Eddie didn't sleep a wink – he was too busy plotting revenge, making sure that Buck was hydrated and putting cold packs on his head whenever he returned to bed, usually only for half an hour or so before rushing back down the hall.

At around 3am Eddie dozed off, but woke with a fright about an hour later when he realised he was alone. "Baby?!" He threw the covers off and hurried to the bathroom, where he found Buck sitting with his back against the wall, his head lolled to the side, asleep.

Eddie sighed, nudging him awake and helping him to stand, guiding him back to the bedroom. "You okay?"

"No." Buck's voice was hoarse. "I don't think there's anything left."

"Come and lie down. Please drink some water for me, okay?" Eddie settled him into bed, handing him a glass of room temperature water. "Drink slowly."

Buck did as he was told, and Eddie went out to the kitchen to grab another ice pack for his head and a fresh washcloth. When he returned, he sat on the edge of the bed, wrapped the pack in a towel, and placed it on Buck's head.

Buck screwed his face up miserably. "I'm sorry I ruined our night."

"You haven't ruined anything; Chimney did." Eddie carefully wiped his face and chest with a cool, damp washcloth. "When you're feeling better, we are going to ruin his life."

"Oh yeah, good plan," Buck murmured, as his eyes drooped shut. "Yeah, we're gonna… I don't know. Slash his tyres."

"Too big."

Buck screwed his face up. "We're gonna… poison him."

"Can't. He'll see it coming." Eddie brushed his fingers through Buck's hair, and had an evil thought. "I've got a plan."

"Good. Tell me all about it tomorrow," Buck mumbled, already drifting off to sleep.

~

Buck was still in bed when Eddie left to pick up Christopher and Max the next morning, but when they returned home, he was up and shuffling around the kitchen, trying to make breakfast.

"Babe, no," Eddie said, quickly putting a stop to that. "No, come on. Go back to bed. You're still sick."

"I've gotta make my boys breakfast," Buck complained, groaning as Eddie marched him back down the hallway. "Ed _-die._ "

"Back to bed."

Neither of them noticed Max trailing behind, darting into the room before Eddie closed the door. He tucked Buck back into bed, checked his temperature, and gave him a reassuring kiss before leaving him on his own to sleep. Christopher was standing in the hallway worriedly.

"Is he okay, Dad?"

"Yeah, buddy, he's going to be fine," Eddie replied. "He's just a little sick. Come on, I'll make us some breakfast."

Eddie scrambled some eggs for Christopher, fried some for himself and made toast. He passed a plate over to Christopher, who tucked into it happily, chatting about his night at Pepa's while Eddie drank a strong coffee and ate his breakfast.

When they were done, he dumped the dirty dishes in the sink and turned to Christopher, pushing a hand through his hair wearily. "We'll just have a quiet one today, kiddo," he said, and Christopher nodded in agreement. "I've been up most of the night. How about we just watch some movies?"

"Okay," Christopher agreed. "Maybe Buck will come and watch when he's feeling better."

"I hope so." Eddie patted him on the shoulder, and then wandered back down to the hallway to check on his husband.

He opened the door to the bedroom and found Buck on his side, one arm dangling over the bed, with a loudly purring black fluffball tucked up against him. When Max noticed Eddie he let out a soft _"mrow?_ ", before snuggling even closer to Buck. Eddie gazed at them affectionately, and closed the door again.

~~

It took 24 hours for Buck to be rid of cheese ball disease, as he and Eddie had taken to calling it, but by Halloween he was fully cured and back to his normal self. This meant he was totally pent-up and barely able to control himself around Eddie, who was wearing his Snake Plissken costume for Halloween again (mostly because he knew it would drive Buck wild).

In retaliation, Buck put on the crop top, and they spent most of their walk around the block with Christopher eyeing each other and trying to control themselves in the presence of other people.

Christopher was a vampire for Halloween, and he'd desperately wanted them to bring Max along for trick-or-treating as his spooky sidekick, but Buck was worried about dogs, and mostly generally fearful that something might happen to their sweet boy. He and Eddie vetoed the idea almost instantly, and as they walked the block he was relieved – there were a ton of dogs out and about.

Max was waiting for them in the window when they returned home, and as soon as Christopher was back inside the house, he followed him around like a shadow, totally enamoured with him. Buck tucked them both into bed while Eddie had a shower, and after reading a couple of chapters of Christopher's book, left the two to sleep.

He did his usual pre-bed checks, grabbed a couple of bottles of water from the kitchen and flicked the lights off, before heading to the bedroom. He was perched on the edge of the bed, fiddling with the alarm on his phone, when Eddie stepped into the room. A white bath towel was slung low on his hips, and he closed and locked the door, giving Buck a purposeful look. Buck tossed his phone aside and leaned back on the bed with a grin.

Eddie smirked at him, pausing to examine his reflection in the mirror. "Mr Diaz," he said, meeting Buck's eyes in the reflection. "How are you feeling?"

"Much better, Mr Diaz, and you?"

"Oh, I'm fine." Eddie turned to face him, tugging on the towel, letting it pool on the floor around his feet.

He'd seen that view every single day for almost eighteen months and every single time, it still took his breath away. He kicked his sweats off ungracefully and moved further back onto the bed, as Eddie crawled over him, sliding his tongue from Buck's belly button all the way up to his mouth.

"Oh my god," Buck murmured against his lips. "You're so fucking hot."

"Mmm, I know." Eddie licked into his mouth and reached down with one hand, pushing Buck's legs apart. "We missed our night. _I want you._ "

"Oh god, yeah - do whatever the fuck you want," Buck said in a rush, kissing him again.

"Anything?"

"Yep."

There was a wicked gleam in Eddie's eyes, and he stepped away long enough to grab a familiar shirt from the top of the chest of drawers, tossing it at Buck. "Put this on."

Buck held up the crop top with a smirk. "Really?"

"Yep." Eddie folded his arms across his chest, waiting, and Buck slipped it over his head.

"Good?"

He nodded with satisfaction and said, "I'm going to tie you up."

Well, Buck was hard in an instant, his mouth open, staring at Eddie in dumbfounded amazement. "Yes."

"Yes?"

"Yep."

"Gonna be quiet?"

He grinned. "Maybe you'll have to gag me."

"Oh, that can be arranged," Eddie promised, and kissed him again.

What followed was the most pleasurable torture of his life – after Eddie cuffed him to the bed with the leather cuffs Buck had bought months before, he took his time exploring every inch of Buck's skin with his tongue and fingers, until Buck was whining and writhing beneath his touch.

Only then did Eddie did slide inside of him, filling him until he was gasping, tossing his head to the side, pulling on the cuffs desperately. When he began to thrust, Buck moaned, low and deep, and Eddie kissed him to keep him quiet, murmuring sweet nothings against his lips. Eddie could play him like a fiddle, keep him right on the edge until he was desperate for release – his first orgasm ripped through him like a freight train, but Eddie wasn't done. When he wanted to, he could hold on for hours, determined to tease another orgasm out of Buck – and he _did_ , the bastard.

~

When it was over, Buck couldn't move. He was blissfully fucked out, wrapped up in a blanket, his whole body tingling.

"You okay?" Eddie murmured, his short nails trailing up and down Buck's back. "You seemed to like that."

"You think?" Buck's head was in Eddie's lap. "Jesus Christ; I think you broke my spine."

"No," Eddie objected, but Buck felt his hand slide down lower, as if double-checking. "No, you're fine. You want some water, baby?"

The sex was great, but Buck loved it when Eddie was all soft and sweet with him afterwards, as if they hadn't just spent the last couple of hours pounding on each other. Buck sat up a bit, leaning against the pillows, and Eddie immediately made sure the blankets were up around his shoulders again before pulling him close.

"Water?" he murmured again, brushing his lips against Buck's birthmark.

"No, I'm okay." Buck closed his eyes. "Do you ever worry that we'll get sick of having sex together?"

"Not possible."

"Yeah, but say we live to be ninety," Buck began, as Eddie sighed. "When we're 80, you're not going to be able to get it up, babe."

"And you will be?"

Buck ignored him. "What if in ten years you get bored of me?"

"Baby, all I need to do is look at you and I'm thinking about sex," Eddie said patiently. "I'm not going to get sick of you. You drive me wild. What are you worried about?"

"Getting old," he confessed.

"Aw." Eddie kissed his cheek reassuringly. "I'm not worried about that at all. I'm just happy we get to spend the rest of our lives together. Our _long lives_ ," he added pointedly. "Don't you think about dying on me."

"Right back at ya."

"Yeah, well." Eddie tilted Buck's head up so they were making eye contact. "I love you so much."

"I love you too," he replied, leaning in for another kiss.

Eddie murmured against his lips, "As if I'd ever get tired of you. Fuck, you drive me wild."

"Yeah, but when my balls are sagging—"

"They already are, Buck," Eddie said flatly, and laughed when Buck whacked him over the head with a pillow.

~~

The plan to pay Chimney back was somewhat convoluted, and required everyone at the 118 to be in on the plot. It was a fairly typical Wednesday morning at the station when Bobby sent Chimney out to Dunkin' Donuts as a treat, and as soon as the truck was out of the station, Carla walked in with a familiar cat carrier.

"This better be worth it," she warned Buck, who took the cage from her hands. "Although, he didn't protest at all when I picked him up."

"He likes you; he doesn't like Chim," Buck replied, gesturing for her to follow him upstairs where the others were waiting.

Bobby had his arms folded across his chest. "The cat won't play your game, Buckaroo."

"I've got a secret weapon," Buck replied confidently. "All he has to do is sit on the table. That's it."

"I was worried you were going to throw him at Chim or something," Hen said with a grin.

Eddie shook his head, kneeling beside the cage. "We wouldn't do that to our sweet boy."

Max purred in response, rubbing his face along the bars.

Buck took the cat out of the cage and put him in his harness and leash, so everyone could give him a pat. He set up his phone on the kitchen counter, pointed at the stairs, connected to a video call with Eddie. After fifteen minutes, Eddie and Hen went downstairs to hide while the rest of the team disappeared into the bunk room to watch on Eddie's phone. Buck had just set Max on the table when the car pulled back into the station, so he quickly crawled underneath, gripping the leash, praying that Max would stay put.

Chimney was whistling as he climbed the stairs. "Donuts! Get your fresh donuts!" he called, his voice echoing in the empty station. "Guys?"

Buck heard Max's low growl, and clapped a hand over his mouth, trying not to laugh. He saw Chimney come to a dead stop at the top of the stairs and whisper, "What the fuck?"

Max hissed.

"How the hell did you get here?" Chimney challenged the cat, his voice raising an octave. "Where is everyone?"

Max's next growl was menacing, and Chimney actually turned and hurried back down the stairs, shaking his head rapidly. "Not today. Nope. Guys? Really funny, you guys! Can you come out now? Buck!"

Buck was shaking with silent laughter, and accidentally released the leash. Realising he was free, Max hopped off the table and went to the top of the stairs – his fur standing on end, tail pointed, ears flat.

Chimney let out a shriek. "Oh my god, Buck!" he shouted. "Seriously, dude! I'm sorry I accidentally poisoned you! Your cat is going to kill me!"

Max gave a high-pitched growl, preparing to descend the stairs, but Buck leaned out from under the table and managed to snag the leash. As soon as he realised he was restrained again, Max settled down, wandering over to Buck, letting out a soft, " _mrow?_ " and bopping his head against Buck's knee.

"Buck?" Chimney asked uncertainly.

It was then that Eddie and Hen leapt out from behind a truck and screamed, "BOO!"

Chimney shrieked again and dropped the donuts in fright, and all Buck could hear was scattered laughter as the rest of the team emerged from their hiding place.

"You bastards!" Chimney shouted at them. "All of you!"

"No more cheese balls," Bobby called from the balcony. "You nearly killed Buck."

"It was an accident!" he protested. "I dropped the freaking donuts!"

Buck crawled out from under the table, holding Max in his arms. Eddie was ascending the stairs, grinning broadly, and he held his hand up so Buck could slap it.

"Hey Chim," he called, leaning over the railing. "Payback's a bitch."

"Yeah, no more adventures in cooking, huh?" Hen said to Chimney, clapping a hand on his shoulder. "Maybe we let Bobby handle the dairy products."

"This is the last time I try to do something nice for you people," Chimney complained, bending over to pick up the dented box of donuts. "This is bullying."

"I'm the Captain and I say it's fine," Bobby announced. "Come on, Chim. We can still eat a crushed donut."

"I'm not coming up if that cat is still there!"

Max yawned, lolling back in Buck's arms, gazing around lazily - the very picture of relaxation. Eddie scratched him behind the ears and murmured to Buck, "This could be our ticket out of baby-sitting, you know. Just threatening him with the cat."

"I like the way you think," Buck replied, and kissed him on the cheek.

~end~

**Author's Note:**

> The title is from "Home" by Edward Sharpe & the Magnetic Zeros - [Home](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DHEOF_rcND8&ab_channel=RoughTradeRecords)
> 
> The picture of the cat I stole from Google 😄
> 
> Talk to me @ Tumblr: [woodchoc-magnum](https://woodchoc-magnum.tumblr.com/)


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